03 January 2017

Mineral Ridge

"Welcome to Mineral Ridge, a town once booming in the early 1920s," begins the greeting at Mineral Ridge, a creation by Aiden Caudron and Norman Dobler (NormanDobler Resident). "Come explore with your friends or family this beautiful place to discover vast caves and historical sites. In 1893, Mineral Ridge was one of the top places to live in the country."

While it looks as though the town's few residents have attempted to keep up good appearances, the 1890s and 1920s were long ago, and things overall seem to have tumbled downhill. Relegated to the status of a tourist attraction, the location has apparently attracted a population of squatters who make due in various campsites and in the extensive caves the snake underneath the bedrock. (A flashlight handed out at the landing point might be helpful in the caves.) Roleplay is encouraged and the region is damage enabled, but visitors who wish to take in the sights are more than welcome to simply wander.

The photogenic sim is roughly divided into two parts — a residential community on the higher east side, with paved asphalt streets, and the hillier and picturesque west side, with dirt roads and a touch of trailer trash living. Explorers will find many little nooks and crannies hidden away within both areas — indeed, repeated trips to Mineral Ridge might be needed to discover all of its faded charms. Shown in these images is the sim's default windlight settings, but others will work admirably.

"The sim took me about three weeks to finish," says Aiden. But he had larger plans in mind, intending to eventually build three interconnected sims that would be more than scenery. "I'm trying to do something that hasn't been done in depth before. With most sims, you go to them, you see them, teleport out after you see them, but ... what if you go to this sim, you explore this sim, and whilst exploring you find new places that you missed, find new nooks and crannies in which you can find cool items. Imagine teleporting into this sim, and seeing a vast land two sims bigger than it is now, and you have to find your way from point A to point B, sort of like a maze, but in a different aspect, and along the way you'll face dangers depending on the routes you choose to take, maybe somewhere you'll find hidden items, (gachas, or such), and some places you'll get trapped, or maybe lose your health. Think of it as an experience game, where each time you come you may try a different route — it could take you an hour or more to find the proper way to point B." But this expanded venture (and even the continuation of the existing sim) depends on the support of the community. If the project sounds exciting, lend your support to Mineral Ridge at the landing point and be in touch with Aiden or Norman. (And special thanks to my partner, Kinn, for her assistance with this post.)